Thursday, April 7, 2011

Politics has always fascinated me. The wonderful things that our government
concerns itself with leave me in awe. Take for instance the recent decision by
the Maine State Legislature to declare the Whoopie Pie the state dessert. This has led to two major confrontations but I am happy to say they are strictly bi-partisan.

The first was highly
understandable. In Maine, which produces
25% of all blueberries consumed in this country, making it the largest producer
of blueberries in the world, naturally a hue and cry rose up with this
legislative legerdemain. The Maine State governing body relented
declaring the blueberry pie as the state dessert and relegating the Whoopie to
something called the state “treat”.

According
to the Associated Press, the measure was approved 107-34 but required a second
reading before going to the Senate for consideration. “Off the record, I would
say a heavy load has been lifted off our plate,” House Speaker Robert Nutting
said to some laughs after the vote was taken. But that hardly ended the controversy. You see there is some question as to how
Maine can justify saying the Whoopie Pie is its own. It seems that Pennsylvania lays claim to the
delicious chocolate and vanilla treat that is like biting into a piece of
childhood itself.

Once Maine made its intentions known,
Pennsylvania wasted no time in declaring, no joke, that Maine was committing ‘confectionary
larceny’. Pennsylvania’s claim comes with a great story which goes like this: Amish mothers plopped leftover chocolate-cake
batter into the oven, filled the result with icing and the whoopie was born.
The practical pies were easily transportable for farmers in the field and
children at school. The name? Amish moms put the pies into their children’s
lunch boxes and when found the kids would yell “Whoopie!”

Now there are are differences between the Maine and Pennsylvania whoopies.
In Lancaster County, the traditional filling flavor is vanilla, and it is
usually made of shortening and sugar. In Maine, marshmallow is sometimes used
in the filling, though recipes vary.

A Woman named Nancy Griffin, author of the 2010 "Making Whoopies: The
Official Whoopie Pie Book," was determined to find the origin of the
whoopie. The first documented evidence
she could find was in neither state.

It was from Barry Popik, a Texas researcher who edits a website on the
origins of words. His site traces the pies to a 1931 ad in a Syracuse, N.Y.,
newspaper advertising a five cent "Berwick whoopee pie" made at the
now defunct Berwick Cake Co. in Roxbury, Mass.

Because whoopie is
a catchy name, food historians believe it must have been coined commercially.
Ms. Griffin, however, says the name was derived not from the shouts of glee of
Amish children but, probably, from a 1928 show tune. And that tune…”Making Whoopie” by Gus Kahn.

Well
if all this controversy has made you hungry, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliofito,
with a sizeable helping of Andrew’s baking skills, are here to rescue you. Their “Baked Explorations” has a wonderful
recipe for the treat. Now interestingly,
they don’t get into provenance. They
acknowledge both the Maine version and the one that’s Pennsylvania Dutch. And then they offer up this delicious moist,
deep dark chocolate cookie with a light and fluffy vanilla filling. Their goal, they state, is not political at
all. It is to make the Whoopie Pie just
as ubiquitous as the chocolate chip cookie and the brownie. A tall order indeed but one you may latch
onto once you’ve tasted these gorgeous “treats”. Or make that “desserts”.

7. Bake
10-15 minutes, until the cookies crack slightly on top and spring back in the
center when gently pressed. Let cool completely, then remove from sheet with an
offset spatula. Pipe or scoop half of the rounds with the filling. Top each
piped round with another cookie and serve.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and sugar. Place over a
pan of simmering water and gently whisk until the sugar dissolves (test this by
dipping your finger into the mixture - when you can no longer feel grains of
sugar when you rub the mixture between your fingers, then the sugar has
dissolved) - the mixture will be slightly warmer than body temperature.

Transfer bowl to mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until the mixture is
smooth, white, and fluffy - about 5 minutes. Add the butter, one piece at a
time. Add sea salt and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Beat until the
filling is smooth and glossy (it may look curdled, but just continue to beat -
eventually the mixture will come together).

Put a
generous helping of vanilla filling atop a chocolate cake, then top it with
another chocolate cake. Serve. Yields about 24 Whoopie Pies